Double-acting pump.



o; 731,893. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903. s. N. HALL.

DOUBLE AUTING PUMP.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 18, 1902.

Patented June 23, 1903.

SAMUEL N. HALL, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAS.

LAWLOR, OF HOUSTON,-TEXAS.

DOUBLE-ACTING PUMP.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters PatentNo. "731,893, datedgJ'une as, 1903.

"Application filed December 18,1902. $eria1No.135,753. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL N. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Double-Acting Pumps; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in double-acting pumps; and its object is to provide a vertical double-acting pump in which vention.

of the same.

provision is made for automatically exhausting the air-from the upper portion of the piston-chamber, thereby enabling the upper piston member to operate with greater efficiency and give anincreased working capacity to the pump.

To this end the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts,as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation ofa pump embodying my in- Fig; 2 is a central vertical section Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section of the automatic air-exhaust valve. Fig.

etisa similar view showing a modification thereof. 1

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 represents the ver tical barrel of the pump, which is provided with a piston-chamber 2- and a vertical parallel water-passage 3, which passage is in com- I munication at its upper end with said chamber through a lateral port or opening 4. The barrel 1 is closed at its upper, end by a cap or head 5 and is seated air-tight at its lower end on the supporting-base 6, provided with or carrying a water-inlet 7, having branch passages 8 and 9, communicating, respectively,

with the lower end of the piston-chamber 2 and the lower end of the water-passage 3. These branch passages are guarded by checkvalves 10 and 11, which are adapted to open upwardly to allow water from the inlet to pass into the piston-chamber and vertical waterpassage and to, close downwardly to prevent the return of water to the inlet. These valves the barrel and base, said flaps forming hinges and packing-surfaces for said valves.

Reciprocatingvertically within the pistonchamber is a duplex piston comprising the lower and upper pistons 13 and 14. The body 15 of the pistonc onsists of a skeleton plate, allowing a space on either side for the passage of water to the discharge-pipe, hereinafter described, and is provided at each end with an open cage or chamberld, communieating with said space and closed at their outer ends by the piston-heads 17 and 17. A packing 18, ofleather or other material, is interposed between each cage and pistonhead. Formed in each of the piston-heads is a port 19, which commuuicateswith the circular cage.

. The port 19 in the lower piston is guarded by a check-valve 20, carried bya stem 21, on which the valve is slidably mounted, said valve being adapted to close by gravity against its seat to prevent the downward passage of water through said port 19. The corresponding port 19 in the upper piston-head 17 is guarded by a valve 20', slidable on a stem 22, mounted in the cage 14, and encompassed by a spring 23, which bears against the said valve 20 to normally hold it seated to prevent the upward passage of water through the cooperating port 19'.

The piston-body is provided between the heads with a recess or socket 24, which receives a friction-roller 25, carried by a bifurcated crank-arm 26, which is secured at its outer end toa shaft 27,journaledinthelower end of a discharge-pipe 28, and to the outer end of said shaft is connected a hand-lever 29, which is adapted to be oscillated up and down to communicate reciprocatory motion to the duplex piston through the instrumentality of the aforesaid crank and frictionroller.

In drawing water. the lever 29 .is moved up and down, and on the downward movement of the piston the valve 20 opens to allow the water previously drawnin through the branch passage 8 to pass through the port19 and cage 13 into the space surrounding the piston, so as to be discharged through the discharge-pipe 28 by the upward movement of the piston.

When the piston moves downwardly, as above described, the valve of the upper piston member is held closed by the coacting spring, a nd the check-valve 11 opens to allow water from the branch passage 9 to flow upward into the passage 3. Upon the ensuing upward movement of the piston the valve 20 opens to allow the water drawn into the pipe 3 and into the upper end of the pistonchamber to pass downward through the o0- acting port 19 and cage 14 in the upper piston member to flow into the space between said piston member and the wall of the chamber 2 for exit through the discharge-pipe 28. It will thus be seen that as the duplex piston "is reciprocated up and down in its pistonchamber 2 the piston members will alternately act to draw water into the lower end of the piston-chamber and into the lower end of they passage 3, the valves alternately opening and closing to provide for the proper flow of water.

. It is well known thata vertical double-acting pump embodies substantial advantages over a horizontal pump of the same type in that the weight of the piston is not sustained solely by one side wall of the piston-chamher, and hence undue wear of the parts and leakage is not so liable to-occur. Heretofore, so far as I am aware, it has been found impracticable to employ a vertical double-acting pump for practical use for the reason that a column of air at all times occupies the upper portion of the piston-chamber and cannot be expelled by the upper piston member on account of the resistance by the water drawn in by the lower piston member to the discharge ofv the air through the discharge-pipe, and, further, because of the fact that immediately upon the cessation of the downward movement of the upper piston member the airdrawn down by it, being lighter than the water below, will'again rise to the upper portion of the piston-chamber and form an air-cushion or seal therein, thus preventing water from flowing into the upper portion of the piston-chamber through the passage 3 communicating therewith, so that the pump when operated will expel no more water than an ordinary single-acting pump, one of the piston members (the upper one) being rendered practically useless by the aforementioned air-cushion.

In a prior application for patent, filed September 16, 1901, Serial No. 75,474, I have shown means for obviating this difficulty and allowing the air to pass out from the top of the piston-chamber under the pressure of the infiowing water, said means consisting of an air-vent in the top of the piston-chamber closed by a pivoted cover or seal. When this cover or seal is open and the piston operated, the water drawn in by the lower pis ton member will ascend in the piston-chamher and expel the air through the vent-opening, thus priming the pump for operation, whereupon the cover is closed to prevent further access of air. This prior construction while efficient under all ordinary cases is open to one minor objectionnamely, that it is not automaticand where there is an imperfect coupling between the water-supply pipe and inlet 7 allows any air which may enter said inlet to pass up to the top of the piston-chamber, where it remains unexpelled and interferes to a more or less extent with the operation of the upper piston member 14.

In my present construction I provide means for automatically exhausting the air from the piston chamber as fastas any material amountaccumulates therein,said means comprising a valve-casing 30, having a screwthreaded lower end entering a threaded opening in the cap or head 5 and provided with a chamber for the reception of a ball-valve 31, which controls a port or passage 32, communicating with the interior of the upper end of the piston-chamber. The valve 31 is normally held seated by a coil-spring 33, retained in position by a screw plug or cap 34, provided with wings 35 to enable it to be conveniently manipulated.

The internal wall of the valve-chamber is screw-threaded to receive said plug, whereby the latter may be adjusted therein to regulate the tension of the spring 33 to increase or diminish its resistance to the opening movement of the valve 31. An air-vent 36 is formed in the plug, as shown in Fig. 4, orin the casing 30, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, for the escape of the air exhausted by the valve from the upper portion of the piston-chamber.

In priming the pump for operation the piston is reciprocated in its chamber, the piston member 13 drawing in water and the piston member 14 expelling a certain proportion of the air from the upper portion of the pistonchamber, the valve 31 opening under pressure to allow the air to discharge and then closing to prevent any return of air. This operation is continued until the water drawn in by the lower piston member 13, as well as the same quantity drawn in by the piston member 14, rises in the cylinder to the top thereof and entirely expels the air, whereupon both members of the duplex piston will operate with like efficiency and expel substantially the same amount of water.

If during the operation of the pump or at periods when the pump is temporarily out of operation any air enters through the inlet 7, the motion of the piston when the operation of the pump is resumed will cause the air to be automatically expelled through the automatic vent in an obvious manner. It will be vention in the present instance as applied to a vertical double acting water-pump operated by hand mechanism, I reserve the right to employ the sameupon power-operated water-pumps and steam-engines, invwhich it is adapted to act equally as well to exhaust the confined air and adapted to operate with less power and greater efficiency.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the inven- 1 tion will be readily understood without re- .wPatent, is

quiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion,

and the minor details of construction may he resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters 1. In a vertical double-acting pump, the combination of a barrel or cylinder provided with fluid-inlets communicating with the opposite ends thereof, a double-acting piston therein, and an air-vent located in the upper head of the barrel and having an automatic valve and adapted to permit of the escape of the air in the upper portion of the barrel or cylinder upon the operation of the piston, substantially as described.

2. In a vertical double-acting pump, the

com bination of a barrel or cylinder provided with fluid-inlets communicating with its op-. posite ends and having in its upper head an air-vent aperture, a double-acting piston, a check-valve controlling said vent, and means for resisting the opening movement ot the valve.

3.111 a vertical double-acting pump, the

a combination of a barrel or cylinder provided with fluid-inletscommunicating with its opposite ends and having in its upper head an air-vent aperture, a double-acting piston, a

check-valve controlling said vent, a spring for closing said check-valve, and means for regulating the pressure of said spring, substantially as set forth.

4; In a vertical double-acting pump, the combination of a barrel or cylinder provided with fluid-inlets communicating with its opposite ends and having in its upper head an air-vent aperture, a double-acting piston, a valve-casing communicating with said ventaperture and having an outlet, and a checkvalve in said casing, substantially as described.

5. In a vertical double-acting pump, the combination of a barrel or cylinder provided with fluid-inlets communicating with its opposite ends and having in its upper head an air-vent aperture, a double-acting piston, a,

valve-casing communicating with said ventaperture, a check-valve in said casing, a spring acting on said valve, and an adjustable plug orstem bearing on the spring and having an air-vent, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a vertical double-acting pump, the combination of a barrel or cylinder provided with fluid-inletscommunicating with the opposite ends thereof, and having in its top head a threaded opening, a double-acting piston operating in the cylinder, and a valve-casing threaded into said opening and having a valve therein, means for regulating the opening of the valve, and an air-vent automatically governed by the valve to permit air to discharge from the barrel, substantially as described.

7. In a vertical double-acting pump, the combination of a barrel havinga piston-chamber, Water-inlets communicating with the opposite ends of the chamber, a duplex piston operating in the chamber, an air-vent at the top of the barrel to permit of the escape of air from the barrel to allow Water to completely fill the barrel and prime the pump for operation, and means for automatically governing said vent, substantially as described;

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

S. N. HALL. 

